Wow, what a day of research! Started out exploring the new General Register Office digital certificates program. For only 2.5 pounds, you can get a immediate digital image of a birth or death (sadly not marriages). I was thinking who do I need a cert for, and what new information might it show me. For some reason, I was looking at my direct Pearce line, and I thought, aha! What about the child that was born and died between censuses. So I ordered that cert, and got the first address of the family when they moved to Torquay (from St Ive, Cornwall), and the fact that the child died of measles (9 days duration).
I then ordered a death certificate for William Pearse/Pearce, showing his death in Callington in 1855. And from there started going back down his line, to his GG Grandaughter Vera Pearce. Her parents being Thomas Pearce and Annie Hetty Gooding. I expected Thomas to be my 2nd cousin 2x removed, but when I looked at Annie Hetty Gooding, it showed her as my 6th cousin 1x removed......WHAT??!!? How was she related to me --- so did some checking and sure enough, she comes down from my Furzeland line!
Now the fun really began, as her Father, John Henry Gooding (son of John Rowcliffe Gooding and Elizabeth Ann Furzeland) turns out to be a habitual criminal!!! He has a long history of forgery, and lots of documentation to read through! And then he changed his name to Frank Hall, and goes on to marry again under that name and having a second family! He's my 5th cousin 2x removed....
I'm still sorting through it all, but what a rogue!
No comments:
Post a Comment